Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyPasserellidae (New World Sparrows)
- GenusJunco (Juncos)
- SpeciesJunco hyemalis (Dark-eyed Junco)
About the Dark-eyed Junco
The dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) is a species of junco, a group of small, grayish New World sparrows. The species is common across much of temperate North America and in summer it ranges far into the Arctic. It is a variable species, much like the related fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca), and its systematics are still not completely resolved.
The dark-eyed junco was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Fringilla hyemalis. The description consisted merely of the laconic remark "F[ringilla] nigra, ventre albo. ("A black 'finch' with white belly") and a statement that it came from America. Linnaeus based his description on the "Snow-Bird" that Mark Catesby had described and illustrated in his 1731 The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands.
The Bill of this Bird is white: The Breast and Belly white. All the rest of the Body dark grey; but in some places black, inclining to Lead-color. In Virginia and Carolina they appear only in Winter: and in Snow they appear most. In Summer none are seen. Whether they retire and breed in the North (which is most probable) or where they... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park
Yellow-eyed Junco
Junco phaeonotus
Abert's Towhee
Melozone aberti
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
Black-throated Sparrow
Amphispiza bilineata
Rufous-winged Sparrow
Peucaea carpalis
Lark Sparrow
Chondestes grammacus
Lincoln's Sparrow
Melospiza lincolnii
Chipping Sparrow
Spizella passerina
Canyon Towhee
Melozone fusca
Brewer's Sparrow
Spizella breweri
Green-tailed Towhee
Pipilo chlorurus
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Dark-eyed Junco in Saguaro National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Dark-eyed Junco sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 1,316 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Dark-eyed Junco in Saguaro National Park?
November has the highest sighting rate for Dark-eyed Junco in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.